The easiest was to refresh your wardrobe and instantly improve your appearance is to take your store bought goods to the tailor and make them appear to be bespoke garments. This can be an expensive process, but in most major cities there are dozens of alterations outfits and provided you don’t require full reconstruction of a blazer, for example, the costs can be kept to a minimum.

First, start with the items that you wear regularly. The basics: your favorite pair of dark denim, chinos, a couple of oxford shirts and perhaps a sport coat. The goal is for the tapered pants that you purchased at the store to actually taper to your leg. Every person has a different shape, and while we approximate what fits well at the store, with a bit of tailoring every garment you wear can fit you perfectly. In the image below I am wearing a pair of chinos from Club Monaco (purchased for $13) and a button-up from H&M, a brand that rarely fits my frame well. The thing that makes this outfit look good isn’t that the pieces are exceptional, it’s a combination of color and fit. All told, including alterations, this outfit was had for under $40 (save for the shoes). I can now mix & match each piece with other articles in my wardrobe and know with confidence that the fit will be perfect on my imperfect & difficult to shop for body.

We are currently exploring new endeavors and have been unable to devote full attention to the blog. Thank you for your visitation over the last year and should we resume blogging, you’ll be the first to know. Thank you!

“5 Days of War” follows a group of journalists trying to survive in a wartime area far from home. It’s particularly moving given the recent death of photojournalist Tim Hetherington. With a stellar cast featuring Andy Garcia, Val Kilmer, Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage) and Dean Cain, it’s a film about the power of secrets and the lengths people will go to protect them.

Los Angeles may not have the most enjoyable downtown, but it sure looks pretty on film. BMW released this commercial of their M1 Coupe drifting atop the Bank of America building, teetering on the edge. It’s a pretty beautiful and breathtaking spot…

Put Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman in a film, I’m sure it’ll be good. Put Jonah Hill and Chris Pratt in a film, I’m sure it’ll be funny. Put all four actors in the same movie and throw a starring role to Daryl Strawberry and you’ve got me curious. “Moneyball” is the story of a pro baseball scout that reinvented the Oakland A’s franchise. I don’t even like baseball and I want really want to see this picture. In fact, the only thing that would make me want to see it more is if it was about the Seattle Mariners, but true stories can be difficult like that.

This one might be a bit polarizing. When I went to see X-Men First Class the other week, I witnessed (in all its glory) the trailer for the US version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It looks phenomenal. Some may question Hollywood’s motive for remaking the film, but money can’t be far from the root cause in my opinion. My friend Alex made a fair point which I feel obliged to share, “Do Americans really have that hard of a time with subtitles that a US version is necessary?” I can’t technically argue with his logic as I did find the original Swedish language film fantastic, but I’ll give Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara a chance any day.